Hi!
> Since becoming active on satellites again in April 2011, I have
> managed to work 48 states on the FM transponders with portable
> equipment. I did not set out to accomplish this minor feat on FM
> alone because I do also operate VO-52, AO-7, and FO-29 /P. Hawaii is
> impossible for me unless AO-7 is used. New Hampshire is the other
> state I need but I've got several options to get it confirmed if I
> would just sit down and schedule one with friends. Maine is not
> common but New Hampshire seems less common in my ~8 month window of
> activity.
Scott N1AIA has been the regular Maine representative on the FM
birds for a while. When he's active, he can get through and put his
state in many logbooks. New Hampshire... there's a state I did not
work at all in 2011, and only 8 times since I've been on the satellites
over the past 6 years. The last New Hampshire contact I logged via
satellite was with WA1ZDV in October 2010, while I was at the AMSAT
Symposium in the Chicago area. I've also worked N1ABA, N1XED,
and N1DCG - all resident in the state, per QRZ.com - along with
WA5KBH when he was up there in October 2009. I seem to catch
them more often when I am away from home, as the last time I worked
that state from here in the Phoenix area was in mid-2007.
As for Hawaii on AO-7, I can't help you with that right now. Honolulu
is a non-stop flight away from here in Phoenix, I have only flown over
that state (going to and from Australia a few months back), and I can
work AO-7 with my portable gear from just about anywhere I go.
Hmmm.... :-) FO-29 should also work for you, if it comes back on and
stays in operation.
> My suspicion is there is a group of "been there, done that"
> experienced operators that don't get on and operate much any more.
> Maybe this is because there's not a HEO satellite, maybe they have all
> the wall paper they want, perhaps they get annoyed the LIDs on FM
> transponders, or maybe they are just waiting on the "next great bird"
> to get them active again. In any case, I would invite those of you
> who have not operated the current satellites in recent times to get on
> the air so that some of us "newcomers" have a chance to be acquainted
> with you.
When it comes to working stations in different grids, states, provinces, etc. -
everything is cyclical. What is very common now can become rare, and
the rare places can become common. It could be one of the reasons
Clayton mentioned above, or others (people move, real life gets in the way
of working satellites, etc.).
For hams trying to work all of the US states (or at least all of the states
outside of Alaska and Hawaii) on or near the coasts, it helps to have
operators willing to work the lower passes that are needed to span the
distance. Sometimes it takes effort to coax someone into a road trip to
put some grid/state/province on the air. That is the only way I've logged
Delaware on the satellites, when a couple of satellite operators drove to
that state to put it on the air in the summer of 2009. Patience is definitely
required, whether you are trying to work grids, states, etc.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK
http://www.wd9ewk.net/